New Business Mum Feature & Giveaway – Charlie

The very lovely Charlie of StarBright Designs is on the blog this morning to tell you all about her self and her business! She is also giving away one of her best-selling drawstring bags, so make sure you enter that before you leave :O)

You can also head over to Facebook & Twitter to follow Charlie and her business.

Who are you?

Hi – I’m Charlie! I live in Staffordshire with my 7 year old daughter and Freddie the cat! I’m a busy bee, who’s a bit daft, mad on STARS, lover of Rock music, part Owner and Manager of a Holiday House in gorgeous Ludlow in South Shropshire, and Owner, Manager & Maker of StarBright Designs.

What do you do?I have lots of fun with bright and bold fabric, making and upcycling everyday practical items for the home & whole family – making them a whole lot less boring! My product range includes my best selling Drawstring Bags which are used by children and fun loving adults for a variety of uses, Star shaped Cushions, Hook Sets for the wall or the backs of doors suitable for any room, Bedding Sets, Carrier Bag Holders, Peg Bags, Star Garlands, Kids Clothing Patches and so much more! I pride myself on the customer service I offer, and I love working on personal commissions – as the journey from the concept right through to the final product is exhilarating. And quite often this results in a new product being born for the StarBright Designs range.

When did you establish your business?StarBright Designs was officially born in July 2012, but had been in its infancy for a while before then.

What made you start your own business?Ever since I can remember I have always wanted to run my own business. At school I was a key player in a Young Enterprise venture that made and sold candles – it was the first Young Enterprise venture in the school’s history that had ever made a profit – and a BIG one at that. I then went on to do a Combined Honours degree in Business Administration, and from that point on the desire was there. The problem was I never knew what form the business should be in! 17 years after the business spark had been lit for me, I finally took the plunge……

What do you love about working for yourself?
There’s no one about to curb my creativity, no office politics, nobody to boss me about, and I could wear my pyjamas to work if I really fancied it! The flexibility of the working hours is a real bonus too, when having to juggle the demands of family life, and having the ability to be selfish and do something for myself.

Is there anything you do not like about working for yourself?It can be hard to get motivated sometimes, there’s no office banter to give you a quick 5 minute break, and it can feel a bit lonely at times. Also I find myself too easily distracted by my Ipad and things I need to do around the house! It’s tough being in charge of making, marketing, and selling – and at times there seems to never be enough hours in the day.

Is there anything you would go back and do differently if you could?I’m a firm believer in making mistakes – if we don’t make mistakes, then we will never learn. If I went back and thought more about things before I acted, then that would probably have been a good idea. However I could of ended up thinking and thinking and never acting. So to answer the question – no I don’t think I would….

What advice would you give to a Mum considering starting her own business?You can’t have blinkers on as to what the true reality of the experience will be. The reality is – you can’t truly work when your children are around, so therefore that only leaves nap times, evenings, or if the children are old enough – school hours. Running your own business involves more than the standard office hours of 37 hours a week – so it will be tough, and your social life will be lacking. However the rewards are phenomenal!

Charlie is very kindly giving away this awesome Limited Edition Tough Bag in Butterflies fabric, with co-ordinating purple star. It is approx 38×53 cm in size, and is a backpack style drawstring bag.

My handmade cotton Tough drawstring bags are an alternative to my regular cotton drawstring bags. They are made from a heavier duty cotton fabric, have reinforced seams, and heavier duty backpack attachments. This means that these Tough Bags are suitable for withstanding the rigours associated with secondary school, and so make great PE kit bags for children of all ages, shoe bags, adult gym kit bags, for after school activities, toy storage, or as an overnight bag amongst other uses.

All you need to do to enter is complete the Rafflecopter below. There is one mandatory option and a few other options if you would like more than one entry. terms and conditions are listed on the Rafflecopter widget.